NI boat-builder christens crew boat

On a windy day along the banks of Bayou Teche in New Iberia, La., the sun remained bright and visitors enthused for the christening of the latest craft from Breaux Brothers Enterprises – the 105-foot Half Moon Clipper – that was built as a crew boat for the Holland America cruise company. “She’s 94 long tons” empty weight, Breaux Brothers’ Co-Owner/VP Vance “Vic” Breaux told the Daily Iberian. When loaded, the crew boat will be at 154 tons dead weight. It was built for Holland America Lines to serve as a 193-passenger crew boat for employees and guests visiting Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Half Moon Cay is a 2,400 acre private island that most Holland America Line ships stop at when departing from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Unlike larger crew boats, the Half Moon Clipper works as a day- runner, shuttling crew/guests between larger passenger liners and the island. The boat has three French-built Baudoin diesel engines that provide about 2,000 hp to drive three propellers. The Breaux Brothers’ facility has been building aluminum boats along the Teche since 1983. Still, it represents a $4.5M investment for Holland America, and a major sale for the Breaux Brothers. (Source: Daily Iberian 02/15/19)